User blog:SPARTAN 119/Hattori Hanzo vs Rashad ad-Din Sinan
Hattori Hanzo, the ninja master who mastered the art of stealth to the point that he was rumored to be able to appear and disappear at will VS Rashad ad-Din Sinan, the mysterious grand master of the Hashashin who ordered the assassination of the king of Jerusalem and intimidated Saladin into lifting a siege. WHO IS DEADLIEST? =Combatants= Hattori Hanzo Hattori Hanzo was the son of a minor samurai in the service of the Matsudaira (later Tokugawa clan), first entering combat at age 16. He quickly became renowned his tactical brilliance and combat prowess, being known to practice ninjutsu, and, in particular sojutsu, the art of spear fighting, Hanzo is known to have favored a 14-foot yari as his spear of choice. He was also so skilled in combat and at the art of stealth supernatural abilities were attributed to him, such as appearing and disappearing at will, telekinesis, and precognition. Hanzo became known for his actions at several major battles under Oda Nobunaga, including actions at the battles of Anegawa and Mitagahara. His most famous action, however would occur after Oda's death, when he saved the life of Oda's successor, Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Mikawa province and leading him to safety, and possibly playing a role in rescuing Ieyasu's family as well. Rashad ad-Din Sinan Rashad ad-Din Sinan was the grandmaster of the Hashashin, or Assassins, during the time of the Third Crusade. Little is known about him as his autobiography was partially destroyed. Rashad first received assassin training and was sent to Syria in 1162 by assassin grand master Hassan II. Rashad set up his base in the mountain fortress of Maysaf, and took control of parts of Northern Syria. Rashad's main enemy was the Syrian ruler at the time, Saladin, whom was the target of two assassination attempts on Rashad's orders. In 1176, Saladin tried to lay siege to Maysaf, but was intimidated into lifting the siege and aligning himself with the Hashashim after the he received a death threat from Rashad. According to some accounts, Saladin awoke to see a figure leaving his tent and find a threatening note stuck into a plate of scones with a poisoned dagger. Rashad ordered a number of other assassinations during his time as grand master, the last in the last year of his life, in 1192, when he ordered the assassination of Conrad of Montferrat, King of Jerusalem. In is widely speculated that Rashad conspired with either Saladin or Richard the Lionheart in this assassination, as both had reasons to want Conrad dead. Later that year, Rashad died in Al Khaf Castle in Syria. =Weapons Daggers Tanto (Hanzo) A tanto is a short Japanese dagger similar in appearance to miniaturization of a katana with a straightened blade, however, on close inspection, one will notice the blade has a nearly flat side, with no ridge, unlike a katana. This gives the sword greater penetration power. Tanto were used as secondary weapons by samurai, and were also used for self defense by civilians, and as tools. Poisoned Khanjar (Sinan) A Khanjar is a curved dagger worn by adult men in Oman as part of traditional attire, however, the weapon can be found throughout the Middle East. The dagger used by the Assassins would have likely been a khanjar or similar weapon, typically with the blade dipped in poison to increase lethality. 119's Edge Rashad's Poisoned Khanjar for the greater lethality of its poisoned blade. Swords Wakizashi (Hanzo) As there is no historical evidence for the ninjato as depicted in modern ninjutsu, it was likely that the ninja of Hanzo's time would have used a shorter sword such as the wakizashi. The Wakizashi is a Japanese short sword with a blade between 30 and 60 centimeters, similar in appearance to a smaller katana. The wakizashi had a short, single edged, slightly curving blade for close combat, and in some case, committing ritual suicide. Saif (Sinan) The saif, commonly referred to in the West as a scimitar, is an Arabian curved sword distinctive for its L-shaped grip. The weapon was used from about the 9th century onwards. The weapon had about a three foot long blade, and was used mainly for slashing 119's Edge Sinan's Saif for its greater reach. Thrown Weapons Ceramic Grenade (Hanzo) Around the time of Hattori Hanzo, ceramic grenades, originally invented by the Chinese, had made it Japan. These weapons consisted of a simple ceramic container filled with black powder. While they could be lethal at short ranges, the ceramic grenade would often simply stun or injure. Ceramic Incendiary Grenade (Sinan) Since the 7th century, Muslim armies were known to use ceramic containers filled with petroleum-based incendiaries, possibly technology diffused from the Byzantine Empire and their "Greek Fire". The devices were obviously more effective for destroying structures, and were sometimes fired from catapults, then they were in an anti-personnel role. 119's Edge Hattori's Ceramic Grenade for its greater use in anti-personnel combat. Long Range Weapons Osutsu (Hanzo) The Osutsu was a Japanese matchlock firearm with a short, wide barrel, used in Sengoku or Warring States period Japanese history in mid to late 1500s. The weapon was intended for used in a manner similar to the later European blunderbuss, as an early form of shotgun. The Osutsu could be loaded with a variety of types of ammunition, most typically metal shot or arrows. Composite Bow (Sinan) The Arabs at the time of Sinan would have used a composite bow with a forward recurve. These bows were made from a combination of wood, horn, sinew, and other materials, giving the bow greater flexibility, allowing arrows to be fired with greater forces. 119's Edge Even, as the composite bow has a longer range and faster rate of fire, while the Osutsu causes more damage, is a firearm, which Sinan would never have encountered before and might intimidate his men, and can use just about anything as ammo. =X-Factors= =Battle= Rashad: Hanzo: Rashad ad-Din Sinan and four Hashashin crept towards Japanese castle under cover of night. Their mission: to assassinate Hattori Hanzo. One of the assassins spotted a Japanese guard on the walls of the castle, and drew back his composite bow, before releasing and firing an arrow through the guard's head, causing him to fall over, dead. The assassin squad walked over to the side of the castle entrance. Seconds later, someone shouted in Japanese- they had seen body of the guard on the wall. Two more guards burst out of the doors, not noticing the assassins at either side until on to them attacked one of the guards, killing him by thrusting a poisoned khanjar into the back of his neck. The second guard heard the death of his comrade and turned to face the assassins, osutsu in hand. The guard pulled the trigger and fired a blast of shot into the chest of one of the Hashashin. The assassin fell to the ground and blood flowed out of his mouth. . The remaining Hashashin were shocked by the report of the gun, but regained composure when the guard dropped the gun and drew his wakizashi. An assassin attacked with his saif, but the guard dodged the attack and thrust his wakizashi through the assassin's chest. The guard, however, was quick to fall, his throat cut by Sinan himself. One of the Hashashin grabbed the dead guard's osutsu. The Hashashin continued through the narrow halls of the castle, to a room where Hanzo and two guards stood in wait. The Hashashin that took the osutsu tried to fire it at Hanzo, but heard only the click of an empty weapon- he did not realize the weapon had to be reloaded after every shot. One of the guards laughed and lit the fuse of a ceramic grenade on a torch hanging on the wall and threw it at the Hashashin, the blast killing one of them outright , and stunning the assassin who tried to use the osutsu. Hanzo himself got up, wakizashi in hand, and ran the stunned assassin through, and turned to face Sinan, flanked by his surviving guard. Then, Sinan realized it: Those things the guards carried exploded when exposed to fire. Sinan drew a ceramic incendiary grenade and lit it on a torch, before throwing the pot of flammable materials at the guard. The incendiary shattered, releasing the burning liquid, which immediately set fire to the guards clothing and cause three ceramic grenades he was carrying to explode. The blast killed both the guard and Hanzo, set fire to the wood and paper screens in the room . Sinan ran out the door as the room as the fire spread rapidly through the wood and paper furnishings in the room. Sinan jumped out a window, landing in the moat of the castle and swam across, any surviving guards distracted by try to extinguish the blaze that now engulfed the entire room- flames could be seen through the windows. WINNER: Rashad ad-Din Sinan Experts Opinion The experts decided that Rashad's superior intelligence, leadership, and considerable combat experience and training, along with a longer sword, poisoned blade, and longer range projectile weapon won the day for him. The battle was decided by a creator tiebreaker due to a tie in votes. To see the original weapons, votes, and battle, click here Category:Blog posts